With the advent of the internet, it has become easier to be connected with people and ideas from different corners of the world. Nowadays with high-speed internet is available in most homes due to which virtual universities and their online courses are rising in popularity. As a result, our society is divided into two different ways of thinking. Some believe that the traditional way of learning is better and some believe that the online way of learning is better.
Though traditional education is still the norm in India but the balance is slowly but steadily shifting towards online education. Though to get a degree students still need to attend physical schools and colleges but most students do most of their learning online. Traditional classes have the disadvantage of not being able to adapt to each student’s needs. Every student learns at his/her own pace. But in traditional classrooms the teacher teaches at a particular speed. Now the students who learn quickly will be bored and stop paying attention and actually learning. And the students who learn slowly won’t be able to catch up and will be left behind thus not actually learning. This results in most students getting tuitions to get that personal attention that every student needs.
Online Education Advantages
Online teaching trumps traditional teaching in this very important aspect of learning. Online courses can be studied at a student’s personal pace which results in better understanding of the topic without getting distracted. Also, most online videos and articles for learning is mostly free which saves the money wasted on expensive tuitions. Traditional classes occur only at certain times and locations and if you miss one it is not recoverable. On the other hand, one can take online courses whenever or wherever one needs to. This flexibility is something traditional way of education can never achieve.
Online Education Disadvantages
But online education has a disadvantage too. Asking questions and getting answers to doubts can be difficult online as a student may need to wait after asking a question for the reply and again wait for each follow-up question which can put a stop to the learning process for the time being. In traditional classrooms, a student can ask doubt and get an instant answer during the lecture by the teacher so this is an aspect of education in which traditional education has the upper-hand. Online Education lacks a live human interaction. Students learn better if they can ask questions, join in class discussions, etc. Online courses only help if the student is disciplined. If students are careless they can ignore the consistency and development of skill within them, without discipline. Traditional courses will keep on running and maintain the consistency required of the students.
But we as a society haven’t actually accepted online education as a viable source of education. We can use online courses in complement to traditional classroom courses. Though, traditional education is still a must to be considered educated. We need this balance between these two ways of learning instead of attempting a substitute online with the traditional way of teaching or vice versa.
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